258: Productivity Lapses In Japan

<p>Brace yourself for taking some big hits in Japan.  Speed, attention to detail, output, results will fall off a cliff.  No this has nothing to do with wars, currency rates, trade regulations, tariffs, gunboat diplomacy or anything politicians do.  Every season there is something going on here which will harm the work flow and the desired outcomes.</p> <p> </p> <p>Spring is usually seen as a happy time and a relief from the cold, gloomy months of winter. It isn’t happy for everyone though, me included. Roughly one third of your team in Tokyo are going to become a lot less productive, as they battle with the demon pollen plague that hits every spring.  Cherry blossom time has had the gloss taken off it substantially, since the cedar pollen levels have risen to such grandiose heights.  Those pinky-white buds on cherry trees herald the onset of a living hell.  It is hard to concentrate when you are crying and your eyes are so itchy you think you are going to go crazy.  Just to offset these maladies, you can insert massive intermittent bouts of sneezing.  The tissue box will get a hammering and those tissues will start attacking the fine membrane under the nose, so that it hurts like blazes. </p> <p> </p> <p>For those really suffering, they won’t even make it to the office and will prefer staying at home, because going outside is a killer.  The economy gets hit directly. This means less shopping, restaurants in the evening and beers after work.  It means masks, goggles, eye and nose drops, doctor visits and keeping indoors as much as possible for months. </p> <p> </p> <p>Tempers become shorter when people are irritated and in pain.  They are less tolerant of others as they double down and focus on themselves and their woes.  Cooperation is lessened somehow, as they are not so generous with their attention.  It is hard enough to gather cooperation when everyone is working remotely anyway, but this just adds another layer of complexity. They are less creative, because their brains are on fire trying to deal with a hos